The Global History Sourcebook is dedicated to exploration of interaction
between world cultures. It does not, then, look "world history" as the
history of the various separate cultures (for that see the linked pages, which do take
that approach), but at ways in which the "world" has a history in its own right.
Specifically this means looking at:
The ways in which cultures contact each other
The ways they influence each other
The ways new cultural forms emerge.
Trade
Societies interact through trade.
War
Movement of soldiers; occupation; admiration of conqueror's culture,
Religion
Religion is of special importance.
Migration
Migration can be due to nomadism, forced dispersal, attraction to a new land, or due to
enslavement. It can take the form of group movements, or be done by individuals and
families.
Empire
Art and Music
***
This page is a subset of texts derived from the online Sourcebooks listed
below. For more specific information about each world cultural area check out these
web sites.
2ND Richard Hooker: The Arayans [At WSU]
Much more reliable account that the nationalist arguments below.
2ND David Frawley: Myth of Aryan Invasion of
India [At India Forum], a complete book, and Myth of
Aryan Invasion of India [At Hindunet] an article-length discussion.
Frawley attacks 19th-century scholars such as Max Muller for bias, but seems unaware of
his own problematic position. His argumentative strategies reek of special pleading.
2ND Siddhartha Jaiswal: Arayan
Invasion Theory: Revising History to Change the Future [At Internet Archive, from Stanford]
Paper explaining why the theory is wrong. More revealing is full title and the text which
explains that the author objected to the theory because it "undermined my belief in
my culture". Apparently not even a Stanford education can prevent this sort of
solipsistic "history". Basically he draws all his arguments from Frawley.
The Greek Migrations
The Jews: Between Mesopotamia and Egypt
Empire
Greek Expansion: Alexander the Great, 4th Cent BCE
Ashoka (c. 265-238 BCE; also given as c. 273-232 BCE): The Edicts of Ashoka,
summary, [At Rough Guide]
Chinese Integration: Qin Shi Huangdi, 3rd Century BCE
Art and Music
Medieval World Systems: Trade and
Faith 100-1500 CE
Missionary religion brought an important new aspect to global interaction after circa.
100 CE. That is roughly the point when both Christianity and Buddhism began to spread
rapidly, both creating their own worlds - Christendom, and although the word is a
neologism, Buddhadom. A late entrant. circa 640 CE. was the religion of Islam which
created a Muslim world [called "Islamdom" by Marshall Hodges], which stretched
from Spain to India, and eventuall the Philipines. These three were the most successful
missonary religions, but were by no means the only ones: Manichaenism, a modified form of
Persian dualism also persued a missionary strategy.
Kabir (d. 1575?): Sayings [At Internet Archive, from Rutgers]
Sri Guru Granth Sahib, 1604, (also known
as the Adi Granth) [At Sikhism Homepage]
Full text of Sikh scriptures, with explanation of history. Also in English Version (Khalsa Consensus
Translation)
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859): On Empire and Education,
1830s, [At this Site]
Addresses the issue of education in India. An interesting example of the complete
superiority felt by the British rulers.
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occasionally, this has not been possible where older or non-US publishers seem to have
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